Android Recovery

[Easy Tricks] How to Recover Hidden Files in Android Mobile Phone

by Sophie Green   Updated on 2021-07-02 / Update for  Android Recovery

Like normal files, hidden files can also accidentally get deleted on your Android phone and this can cause a variety of troubles. Fortunately, there are methods for how to recover hidden files in Android mobile and this way you can recover all of the hidden files that you have lost on your device.

This guide focuses on how to recover deleted hidden files in Android using a professional tool, and the guide then tells you how you can enable viewing of hidden files on your device.

Part 1. How to Recover Deleted Hidden Files on Android Phone

For security, you may hide some important or private files on Android but unfortunately find they were deleted or wiped clean. Do not worry! You can actually recover your files using a professional Android hidden files recovery tool. Tenorshare UltData for Android is the only tool you need to recover hidden files of all file formats, whether the items are media files or text documents.

With this tool, the only thing you need to do is select the type of files you wish to recover and the tool will scan and recover those files for you. The following is a demonstration of how to do that.

  • Install the latest version of the software on your computer and launch it.
  • Select Recover Lost Data on the main screen of the software.

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  • Connect your Android phone to your computer using a USB cable. Turn on USB debugging on your phone if you have not already done that.

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  • Tick File types such as Photos or Documents on the following screen and click Start at the bottom.

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  • Select the File type on the left sidebar, choose the files you want to recover on the right pane, and click Recover in the lower-right corner.

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  • Last but not least, choose a destination folder to save the recovered files on your computer.

Your selected files will be recovered to your device. You can get your hidden files back in a few clicks.

Part 2. How to Find or Show Hidden Files on Android Phone

Sometimes, you will not even have to recover hidden files Android as your phone has simply disabled those files. You can unhide the files using an option and that should resolve your issue.

The following are various ways to show hidden files on an Android phone.

Method 1: View Hidden Files Using Default File Manager

Your default file manager has an option that lets you hide and unhide hidden files on your phone. You can enable this option to view all of the hidden files on your device.

  • Launch the File Manager on your phone.
  • Tap the three-dots at the top-right corner and select Settings.
  • Turn the toggle for Show hidden files to the on position.

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You should now be able to view hidden files on your device.

Method 2: Show Hidden Files in Secure Folder

Samsung has included a Secure Folder to save your private photos, videos, apps and other private data. If your hidden files are media files like photos or videos in Secure Folder and then hide the Secure Folder, you can make the Secure Folder visible again to reveal your hidden media content.

  • Go to Settings > Biometrics and security menu then tap Secure Folder.
  • Then tap to turn on the switch/slider next to Show icon on Apps screen.
  • Enter your PIN, pattern, password or fingerprint to confirm action.

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You should be able to access all of the hidden contents on your phone. That is how you recover deleted hidden photos Android.

Method 3: Find Hidden Files Using ES File Explorer

If your file manager does not have the option to view hidden files, which is a very rare case, you can use a third-party file manager app like ES File Explorer to recover hidden files on Android. This app lets you access all the saved files on your device including the hidden files. Here is how you use it.

  • Install the ES File Explorer app from the Google Play Store on your Android device.
  • Open the app and Slide the right menu and choose the Tools option.
  • Scroll down and tick Show hidden files.

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All your hidden files will appear on your screen.

Part 3. How to View Hidden Files on Android SD Card

If your hidden files are on an SD card, you can insert your card into your computer and then view the hidden files there. Here we show how to do that.

  • Connect your SD card to your computer using a card reader.
  • Open File Explorer, click the View tab at the top, select Options, and choose Change folder and search options.
  • Go to the View tab and enable the Show hidden files, folders, and drives option. Then, click Apply followed by OK.

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  • You may want to untick the Hide protected operating system files option.

Let’s wrap this up

If you want to find out how to recover hidden files on Android, there are various ways to do that as outlined above. It is highly likely that the file you are looking for is still there on your device but you just need to enable an option on your phone to view the file. If the file is actually lost, use the tool - Tenorshare UltData for Android mentioned in the guide to retrieve lost hidden file Android.